OREANDA-NEWS Today European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Ca?ete met Algerian Minister for Energy Noureddine Boutarfa in Brussels. They discussed the strategic energy partnership between the EU and Algeria.

Before the meeting, Commissioner Arias Ca?ete said:

The strategic energy partnership between the EU and Algeria was launched two years ago during my first visit to Algiers, and is now a permanent structural component of Euro-Algerian relations. The relationship between the EU and Algeria is an interdependent one: Europe relies on Algerian gas for security of supply and Algeria relies on the European market for security of demand. However, Algeria also has great potential for renewable energy and for energy efficiency savings. The EU is strongly committed to supporting Algeria in these policy areas.

The strategic energy partnership covers cooperation in the areas of natural gas and crude oil, electricity, new and renewable energy, energy efficiency, and infrastructure development. As part of this partnership, an inaugural EU-Algeria Business Forum was held in May 2016. At today's meeting Commissioner Arias Ca?ete and Minister Boutarfa reviewed the energy cooperation progress that has been made since this event, especially in European investment in gas supply and production and the renewables sector in Algeria. Commissioner Arias Ca?ete will also present the Commission's 'Clean Energy for All Europeans' package of proposals, which was published on 30 November 2016.